The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION Leader Philip "Brave" Davis is urging the government to say how much it is paying foreign Queen's Counsel to help prosecute cases against Progressive Liberal Party members.

He said from his experience as a lawyer, foreign QCs are paid between £15,000 to £25,000 per day to lend their expertise in legal matters.

The government is paying foreign QCs to assist with its prosecution of Shane Gibson, Frank Smith and Kenred Dorsett.

During a press conference yesterday, Mr Davis said: "There are lots of rumours going around but if I was to speak from my own experience of being in the courts and having worked with many of these QCs over the years, I suspect they will be paid anywhere from £15,000 to £25,000 per day and that has been my experience working with counsel abroad in matters of these nature."

He added: "They are paying them from the public purse and they need to account for it and it is for us to call for that and I would hope that you being in the press, would press them on it."

Dorsett faces allegations he used his ministerial position to solicit $120,000 in bribes from Johnathan Ash between March 1 and May 9, 2017. The allegations concern a purported exchange of funds connected to work done by the heavy equipment operator to move debris from the New Providence Landfill following a major fire at the site in March 2017.

Gibson faces allegations that he received more than $250,000 in bribes from Mr Ash in 2017. As for Smith, it is alleged he demanded and received $60,000 from Barbara Hanna, a cleaning company owner, in his capacity as former chairman of Public Hospitals Authority.